£51.4M midfielder Liverpool are in pole position for was wonderful at Anfield last night

Liverpool have been linked with Dutch midfielder Teun Koopmeiners since he played for AZ Alkmaar and last night, the 26-year-old put on a clinic at Anfield.

WhoScored gave him a 6.9 match rating which doesn't really do him justice. It may be because some of the hard work he puts in isn't quantifiable by your conventional stats.

Suffice it to say, Koopmeiners is a baller and if his performance against Liverpool at Anfield is anything to go by, there is a reason the Reds are interested.

A report last month from the print edition of La Gazzetta Dello Sport, via Paisley Gates, claimed that Liverpool are in pole position to land his signature should they decide to make a move.

Atalanta have reportedly set a minimum asking price of £51.4 million (€60M) but the report states that if there is no bidding war, they could allow him to leave for £42 million (€50M).

Transfers on hold until new Liverpool manager is confirmed

Michael Edwards is back at Liverpool after being made CEO of Football at the Merseyside club and he will be working closely on transfers with newly appointed Sporting Director Richard Hughes.

READ MORE: Richard Hughes' top four signings for Bournemouth after taking charge of Liverpool transfer strategy

However, the focus is on appointing a replacement for Jurgen Klopp ahead of his departure this summer.

Until then, Liverpool will likely only be window shopping.

This is because a new manager may have different plans entirely than transfer plans the club could arrange now.

Unlike Chelsea Manchester United and the like, Liverpool don't just splash cash just for the sake of it but work very hard behind the scenes to find the right player.

This is done with a combination of stats, with Liverpool FC’s director of research, Ian Graham, heading up the department that delves into the nitty gritty to offer the recruitment staff the data needed to inform their instincts on players.

It's a tried and tested method but one that will remain on pause until Liverpool appoint a new manager, with Ruben Amorim speculated to have agreed a deal with the Reds although the Portuguese manager firmly rejected these claims on Thursday.